It is fair to say that when Atlético Madrid announced the signing of Kieran Trippier in July the deal was met with little fanfare.
In England, critics scoffed and pointed to a difficult final season with Tottenham.
In Spain, fans of Atleti who had been expecting the club to bring in the more familiar FC Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo seemed largely nonplussed.
Yet it hasn’t taken Trippier long to win doubters over, and there is already a palpable excitement over the Colchoneros’ infectiously enthusiastic new full-back.
The positive signs were already evident in the pre-season. Both player and club have taken smart steps to ease the potentially tricky integration of the new signing.
From Atleti’s side, pairing Trippier up with Diego Simeone’s right-hand man Germán ‘Mono’ Burgos in early training sessions looks to have been a wise move.
Burgos, who has been with Simeone throughout his time as Atleti coach, knows the team’s style better than most. Crucially, he also speaks excellent English (the former goalkeeper is a trained English teacher, a detail not widely known).
That meant the Brit was able to be effectively drilled in the intricacies of the LaLiga side’s defensive movements from day one. In Spain, where levels of English can still be surprisingly poor, that’s not a small detail.
At the same time, Trippier has thrown himself into the move with a refreshing enthusiasm and desire to integrate that defies the stereotype of British footballers abroad.
The defender has made his determination to learn Spanish clear, taking classes five days a week and setting the ambitious target of being able to do interviews entirely in the new language as soon as possible. While not necessarily the player’s intention, that attitude has positioned him as a sort of “anti-Bale”, a humble, hard-work loving everyman who the Atleti fans can be proud of and recognise as one of their own.
All of that would mean little if not for the signing’s actions on the pitch, and if an encouraging start in summer friendlies was cause for optimism, the former Spurs defender’s excellent display in the first round of LaLiga against Getafe solidified the feeling that Atleti have the right man.
A contender for the home team’s best player in the win, the right-back showed brave positioning and helped Simeone’s side to stretch the pitch in a way that they have lacked since veteran Juanfran started to lose his pace. Trippier’s excellent cross to assist Álvaro Morata’s winner was an obvious highlight, but his decision-making was just as significant.
In the build-up to the goal the Englishman received possession almost at the by-line, but with Getafe well positioned and little hope of creating a meaningful chance he decided not to force the issue. Instead, Trippier returned the ball back into the midfield, kept moving and patiently waited for Getafe’s defence to narrow.
With Morata now in a more threatening position, the right-back made a run into space and picked the striker out perfectly with a signature inviting cross.
Typical of his smart choices throughout the game, going backwards in order to better go forward suggested he is already well in-tune with the movements of his new team.
Atleti’s fans made their appreciation for their new defender audible with encouraging applause when he received the ball, and in the days since, Spain’s main sporting papers have displayed similar admiration.
“He’s keen to integrate at Atlético, in the dressing room and in the city,” a club employee is quoted as telling El Pais in a feature this week that talks of how his crossing quickly impressed coaches, and his “English enthusiasm” is expected to be a good match for the Madrid side’s traditionally blue-collar fanbase.
The combination of attitude and excellent service looks to be the perfect match for what Simeone wants from a full-back, too.
“He produced a really good game, stretched play, and showed throughout the match the qualities that made Atleti interested in signing him: quality and precision,” the Rojiblancos boss beamed in his post-match press conference following the Getafe win.
He has reason to be happy.
Finding an adequate replacement for Juanfran has been one of Simeone’s bugbears for a number of years now, Santiago Arias and Šime Vrsaljko failing to live up to the high standards the Argentinian demands.
Trippier already looks to have made a more positive impression after just one competitive game.